Cleaning my Gun!

Why do I like to clean my gun?  Several reasons.  If you carry for personal defense it is a little like packing your own parachute.  I know when my gun is clean and oiled, that I have taken care of it.  No one does it for me, it is my responsibility. 

Another advantage is I know how it comes apart and goes back together.  That can be good to know if something goes wrong…at the range or in an emergency.  I know how it feels, I know how it looks, and I know when it doesn’t feel or look “right”.

By breaking it down and cleaning it, I also get a look at the inner workings.  I may not understand all the parts, but I have a pretty good idea how the basics work.  I think having an understanding of the mechanics makes me a better shooter.  Again, it helps me identify and correct a problem before it becomes too serious.  It also helps me recognize when I have exceeded my skills and need to consult an expert or a gunsmith.

Most basic pistol classes address cleaning at a very high level.  We talk about the basic tools, chemicals, safety equipment…but don’t go into a lot of detail.  Why?  Every gun is just a little different.  They come apart differently, they need oil a little differently, and they reassemble differently.  I have owned Rugers Brownings, Colts and Glocks.  The Glocks have been the easiest to break down (some people are afraid of them because you have to pull the trigger to take it apart, but if you follow the safety basics, unloaded, cleared, visually and physically, it is safe).  My Colt (a .380) was the worst!  The recoil spring used to shoot out of the gun and fly across the room every time I broke it down to clean.  It usually ended up under a piece of furniture.  Then, I would have a terrible time compressing it enough to put it back together.  My relationship with that particular gun was brief. 

Your best source of information is the Owner’s Manual.  It should give you detailed diagrams and explanations on how to break down your pistol, how to clean it, how and where to oil it, and how to put it back together.  There should also be a phone number you can call if you get stuck.  It should give you an idea how many rounds you can reasonably expect to shoot before you need to clean it.  Realistically, if you shoot, even 50-100 rounds, and don’t plan to shoot again for a few weeks, clean it.  If you are going again in a couple days, you can probably wait. 

Remember the latex gloves, and eye protection.  Bore Cleaner is a harsh chemical, it is designed to clean the lead out of your gun.  You don’t want it on your skin or in your eyes.  You do want to be sure to clean in a well-ventilated area, and then dispose of your used materials in a ventilated area (I dump everything in an outdoor trash can when I’m done).  Use a small dedicated shot glass, or other glass/pyrex (I wouldn’t recommend plastic as this is a harsh chemical and could dissolve the plastic) container for a small amount of bore cleaner.  Pour a little in the glass or dish, and then when you are done cleaning, dump it out with your used patches.  Why?  If you dip your bore brush into the bore cleaner bottle, you are contaminating your cleaner.  Then you are cleaning your gun with a contaminated cleaner. 

Always practice safe cleaning, do not have ammunition in the area, unload and clear your gun, check it, then check it again, both visually and physically.  Always keep it pointed in a safe direction, even while cleaning.  Practice safe habits and you can avoid accidents.

If you are going to trust your life to your gun, shouldn’t you be responsible for keeping it clean and knowing how it works?   

Safe Shooting!

Single Gender vice Mixed Gender Classes

Women only classes have become very popular lately.  I’m trying hard to understand the trend.  I understand that some women have had a difficult time in their lives and may find the idea of a women only class comforting.  I also recognize that it is a very personal decision.

Ladies, what you may not realize, a mixed gender class is not necessarily a testosterone fest.  I’m seeing more and more women in our classes, and I’m seeing the respect they get from the men!  It is good for the guys to see you learning, asking and answering questions and building your own skills.  It is also humbling for them in many cases when we get to the range.  The ladies frequently shoot better than the men!  Not quite sure why, but I’ve seen it over and over. 

My opinion, it is more important to find caring, thoughtful and safe instructors than a single gender class.  If you call and talk to an instructor and don’t feel comfortable, keep looking.  Many of us have men and women co-teaching classes.  Most women instructors will be happy to take a few extra minutes to answer questions that are gender unique, like holster and concealed carry issues. 

If you really want to take a single gender class, go for it. They are out there, check your local range or gun store for flyers. It is more important to take formal training in whatever environment is most comfortable for you.

Men, it is good for you to see the ladies learning and realizing their own power.  Many men have told me that they want the women in their lives to be able to defend themselves if needed.  I think this is the ultimate statement of Love.

Safe Shooting!

Why do men like to buy us guns?

This is a phenomenon that I haven’t figured out.  Men like to buy guns for the women in their lives.  Ok, that I get.  That part I don’t understand is they either get some huge hand cannon that was secretly on their wish list, or they get something so small that it is extremely difficult to handle. 

We love you for trying, but PLEASE take us shopping with you.  If we are non-shooters, let us go to a First Steps or Basic Pistol Class, get some formal training and a chance to shoot with an instructor, then take us shopping.  You might be surprised by the result.  With a little patience, we may love it!  And, you will have a willing shooting partner for those trips to the range.  Giving us something too big or too small often ends up with no interest in shooting it.  I really don’t think that was the goal. 

Safe Shooting!

Fitting the Gun to YOUR Hand

So often when women go shopping for a gun, the person behind the counter points them to something small.  Small is not easy to control.  Just because a gun is larger doesn’t mean it won’t fit in your hand.

I’ve recently become a convert to Glock.  I was a Ruger girl for years, still have three of them, but my primary is a Glock 19.  Some people are surprised that I carry something that big, concealed, and not noticeable.  But when I work with a student, and let them try the 19, they are usually surprised at how well it fits in their hands and how much fun it is to shoot.

The key fit is the backstrap to the trigger.  Can you comfortably hold the gun and reach the trigger?  This is more important than the “size” or caliber of the gun.  If you can’t hold it, you can’t control it.

I did a comparison between the Gen3 Glock 17 (full size), 19 (compact) and 26 (sub-compact or Baby Glock), all 9mm.  What I found surprising is the fit to the hand is pretty consistent across all three. 

·         The Glock 17 is 7.32” long, 5.43” high, 1.18” wide and has a trigger pull of 5.5 pounds.

·         The Glock 19 is 6.85” long, 5.00” high, 1.18” wide and has a trigger pull of 5.5 pounds.

·         The Glock 26 is 6.29” long, 4.17” high, 1.18” wide and has a trigger pull of 5.5 pounds.

Notice any similarities?  They are also the same distance from the backstrap to the trigger.  This means that I can wrap my hand around the full size 17 the same as the baby 26.  I happen to like the 19, as a primary carry gun, because it is big enough to be comfortable to handle and compact enough to be easy to conceal.  I also like that is has a “double-stack” magazine which means more rounds fit in a smaller space.

What is my next gun?  A Glock 26, I think it would make a great backup gun, and in a pinch, I can use my extra 19 magazine. 

Yes, there are a lot of great manfacturers out there.  I haven’t had my Glock long, but it is a lot easier to shoot than my Ruger every was.  It is less finicky with ammunition, I’ve never had a mis-feed because my wrist wasn’t firm enough…

Bottom line…fit the gun to you.  For average sized people, this should be fairly easy to find something comfortable.  If you have unusually small, or large, hands, you can have a gunsmith alter your pistol to fit you better.  Women don’t need tiny pocket guns, and men don’t need hand cannons.  Neither is easy to control. 

Safe Shooting!

Point of Aim – Point of Impact

Simply put…Hitting what  you aim at!  Sounds easy, right?  Actually, there are several aspects of making this work, but I’m going to focus on sight picture here.  For more defensive handgun shooters the sight picture is based;

·         alignment of the front and rear sights

·         placing the front sight directly on the target

·         focusing on the front sight

·         keeping your front sight centered between the rear sights

·         keeping the top edges of the sights aligned

My instructor likes to say “Equal light on both sides, top knife edges equal”.  That pretty much sums it up. 

The front sight is centers, the top edges are even (your particular sights may very slightly in shape, but the concept is the same).  When you are looking through your sights, the rear slight will be slightly blurred, and the target will be slightly blurred.  Your focus is one the FRONT sight. 

Aligning directly over your target should give you your perfect shot. 

There are other variables, such as Arc of Movement, which is that natural wobble you get from holding the gun our from your body.  We all have it, but with practice and, it gets better.  Also, there is trigger control, anticipation, flinching…these things can throw off your shot placement slightly.

Practicing your aim in a dry fire situation can help a lot.  Following all the safety rules for dry fire, you can practice picking a point and coming up on target to get comfortable with what the sight picture looks like.

I’ve written previously on trigger control (post Trigger Control, How Can Something So Simple Be So Hard) .  You can check yourself for anticipation and flinching in a dry fire situation by resting a coin, or an empty casing, on the barrel of you gun.  Can you ease the trigger straight back, keeping your point of aim, without dropping the coin or casing?  Not quite as easy as it sounds, but it is a great skill to develop at home, in a safe dry fire situation.  Then, when you get to the range…you WILL see the difference. 

Safe Shooting!